NEW DELHI: The Government of India has said it has no plans to reconsider its advisory barring Indian nationals and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) with medical degrees from Pakistan from pursuing employment or higher education in India—despite mounting concerns over the future of hundreds of students, most of whom had enrolled before the directive was issued.
Responding to a question raised in the Lok Sabha by Jammu and Kashmir MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday reiterated that the public notice issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) on April 28, 2022, remains in force.
According to the Ministry’s written reply, only those who were enrolled in Pakistani medical institutions before December 2018, or those who secured security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) thereafter, remain eligible for India’s Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) or employment in the country. An exception is made for migrants and their children who have been granted Indian citizenship and hold degrees from Pakistan, provided they also obtain the required security clearance.
While the question raised issues of equity, given that Pakistan’s medical degrees are globally recognised and its curriculum aligns closely with those of other South Asian nations such as Bangladesh and Nepal, the government has held firm. The reply did not directly address the rationale behind allowing degrees from neighbouring SAARC countries but barring those from Pakistan, beyond the broad mention of national security considerations.
Critics, including Mehdi, have pointed out the disproportionately high impact of the advisory on female students, who constitute nearly 70 to 80 per cent of those affected. Many of them, after enrolling in Pakistani medical colleges before the advisory, now find themselves either seeking costly transfers to European institutions or turning to informal sectors for work due to the sudden ineligibility in India.
The government, however, did not provide any assessment of the socio-economic fallout of the policy or indicate plans for relief for those caught in the crossfire of the advisory’s timing.
Students and parents have been urging the Centre to at least grandfather those who enrolled before the notice was issued, arguing that they had no way of anticipating the policy shift. As of now, the government’s stand appears unchanged, with future eligibility resting solely on security clearance from the MHA—a process seen as uncertain and time-consuming.
The issue continues to stir debate, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, where a significant number of students had historically sought affordable medical education across the border.
